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Home » Bundt Cakes » Marble Bundt Cake

Marble Bundt Cake

By Olivia, 24 Comments

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This classic marble bundt cake is the perfect addition to any party or afternoon tea.

Bundt cake on a wooden cake stand.

I can’t believe it’s been well over a year since I baked a Bundt. I am long overdue. I was in a major Bundt phase through most of 2015 and accumulated a small army of beautiful Bundt pans. The stunning pan I used for this Marble Bundt is one I actually got for Christmas… in 2015! Crazy, right? For well over a year this poor Bundt pan was stuck in the pantry unused – but very much loved.

Close up of the detail on the Bundt

My mom had requested a special cake for Easter — namely a traditional Polish Babka. My parents would always buy these in Polish bakeries around the holidays. The ones we bought were never very good. They were so dry you could barely choke them down. I am not even kidding, just ask Ryan! Flavour wise they were ok, but I don’t know if they were specifically shipped in from Poland (on a boat) or what, because they always tasted old and dry.

My marble Bundt isn’t exactly the traditional Polish Babka (mine doesn’t use yeast), but my mom said it was perfect.

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Overhead shot of the Bundt cake.

What we’re actually both after though, is to recreate a recipe for this box mix (gasp) loaf cake we used to make back in the 80’s. It was so damn good! My mom says it was Sara Lee, but I don’t quite remember that. All I remember is a red box with a yellow loaf sliced on the front. Does this sound familiar to anyone?? I’ve had a heck of a time trying to find even a graphic online for it. I doubt this was a Canada only thing, but maybe? Am I ringing any bells?

Bundt cake on a dark cake stand.

When I look up Sara Lee, all I find is the pre-made loaf, and it definitely was not that. It was a vanilla cake mix and my mom would add cocoa powder to part of the batter to marble it. It was pure heaven. I can almost smell it.

I will continue my search for it, but in the meantime let’s talk about this Marble Bundt Cake!

A piece of cake on a plate

This is a simple and classic cake. It doesn’t take much to make – all you need is a pretty Bundt pan to make a stunning dessert. Bundt cakes are typically more dense than typical cakes, so I used cake flour in this one to lighten it up a bit. You can substitute for all-purpose flour though, if that’s all you have.

The cake has the perfect mix of chocolate and vanilla, and isn’t overly sweet. I chose to do a simple sugar dusting, as I wanted to show off this pretty Bundt pan, but a glaze would go really well too.

A close up of a piece of cake

Notes & tips for this Marble Bundt Cake:

  • If you don’t have cake flour you can substitute all-purpose. The cake will be a bit more dense, though.
  • If you prefer more chocolate to vanilla, feel free to make more of the chocolate batter. Or leave the chocolate out altogether for a vanilla cake.
  • If you’d prefer a richer chocolate flavour, you can also add more cocoa powder, but be sure to dissolve it with hot water.
  • If you’re using an intricate and detailed Bundt pan, I recommend using a wooden skewer to nudge the cake batter into any small cracks, and be sure to grease and flour it well. I use Pam for Baking.
  • The Bundt pan shown here is the Wilton Cascade Bundt Pan.
Bundt cake on a wooden cake stand.
Print Rate
5 from 3 votes

Marble Bundt Cake

This classic marble bundt cake is the perfect addition to any party or afternoon tea. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine Cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12
Calories 389kcal
Author Olivia

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cake flour sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F, grease and flour a 10-12 cup Bundt pan.
  • In a medium bowl, dissolve cocoa powder in 3 Tbsp hot water. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
.
  • Beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3mins).

  • Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until well combined.

  • Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of buttermilk). Fully incorporating after each addition. Do not overmix.
  • Add 1/4 cup of cake batter to the cocoa mixture to lighten then add an additional 1 3/4 cups to the chocolate batter.
  • Alternate adding chocolate and vanilla batters into the pan, swirling with a cake skewer. Smooth the top with a spatula and whack the pan against the counter to evenly distribute.
  • Bake for approximately 45mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
  • Place cake on wire rack to cool for 10mins. Whack the pan on the counter to loosen the cake and turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
  • Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

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Calories: 389kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 6gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 250mgPotassium: 197mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 595IUCalcium: 80mgIron: 0.9mg
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.

Bundt cake photo collage

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April 23, 2017

Comments

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Nicole says

    July 25, 2020 at 8:06 PM

    Hi there, I was wondering what bundt pan did you use. Where could I buy it?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 27, 2020 at 1:52 PM

      Hi Nicole! It’s the Wilton Cascade pan but I’m not sure if it’s still available: https://amzn.to/39zvS87

      Reply
  2. Zenab Alvi says

    June 4, 2020 at 7:40 PM

    Hi there, I was wondering if I can make cake flour by using corn starch? Will the home made version work?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 5, 2020 at 9:45 AM

      Hi Zenab! You can, but I haven’t tried it myself. Be sure to sift it well to make sure the cornstarch is well incorporated.

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    July 20, 2019 at 11:37 AM

    Olivia,
    I am making a triple chocolate marble cake for my daughters wedding and I was wondering if you have a great recipe for that. I would really appreciate the help.
    Heather

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 22, 2019 at 1:16 PM

      Hi Heather! This is the only marble cake recipe I have at this time. It’s more of a denser cake (pound cake). I’ll add it to the list though 🙂

      Reply
  4. Benita says

    January 25, 2019 at 5:40 PM

    If I spray the bundt pan with Pam for Baking – do I still need to flour it?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 28, 2019 at 4:35 PM

      Hi Benita! Nope, that should be fine – that’s what I use.

      Reply
  5. Chris Green says

    December 4, 2018 at 10:14 PM

    5 stars
    If I’m not mistaken, this is pretty much a 1-2-3-4 cake (with a little less sugar). It’s delicious and exceptionally light, even with all-purpose flour. Made it with a melted-chocolate drizzle for my son’s birthday, and it was a big success.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 5, 2018 at 4:55 PM

      Hi Chris! Love the addition of chocolate drizzle. Glad everyone liked it!

      Reply
  6. Jaya says

    June 7, 2018 at 12:34 PM

    5 stars
    Awesome cake receipe, made it for
    My daughters bday and turned out perfect. Thank you for a very simple yet a delightful receipe.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 11, 2018 at 1:38 PM

      So glad you liked it Jaya!

      Reply
  7. Alicia says

    August 30, 2017 at 6:47 PM

    Can this be made in 2 round 9″ cake pans? If so, any recommendation on bake time?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 31, 2017 at 2:55 PM

      Hi Alicia! Yes, that should work. I would start checking them around 20-25 mins and add more time as needed 🙂

      Reply
  8. Sue says

    August 9, 2017 at 3:39 PM

    Is it Duncan Hines yellow cake mix you’re looking for?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 14, 2017 at 8:57 AM

      Hi Sue! Hmm, I don’t think so 🙁 I distinctly remember a loaf on the box cover.

      Reply
  9. Cindy Rodriguez says

    June 28, 2017 at 5:53 AM

    This is such a gorgeous work of art! I received a beautiful bundt cake pan for Christmas so now I’m completely inspired to create my own work of art. Beautiful!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 28, 2017 at 2:49 PM

      Thanks so much Cindy! Though I can’t take the credit, it’s all in the pans! I can’t wait to see what you come up with 🙂

      Reply
  10. Nancy says

    April 24, 2017 at 7:59 PM

    Maybe it was Duncan Hines Pound Cake mix, that is a red box with sliced loaf on the front. I don’t remember Sara Lee being anything but frozen.

    Reply
    • Nancy says

      April 24, 2017 at 8:02 PM

      I meant Betty Crocker!!

      Reply
  11. GiGi says

    April 24, 2017 at 10:15 AM

    5 stars
    Do we have to use dutch processed cocoa? Will regular cocoa work?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 24, 2017 at 3:06 PM

      Hi GiGi! You can use regular cocoa powder.

      Reply
  12. Renee says

    April 23, 2017 at 10:22 PM

    I love marble cake and it looks even better in this fun bundt pan!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 24, 2017 at 3:06 PM

      Thanks Renee!!

      Reply
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I'm Olivia, a professionally trained pastry chef, recipe developer, and photographer from Vancouver, BC. Creating classic cake recipes with a modern twist.
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